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(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

' A. S. FONTAINE.

SPEAKING TUBE.

Patented Feb. 1.5, 188'?.

N. PEzRs. Pham-Lnnugnpher. vlamingen. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ALLEN S. FONTAINE, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

SPEAKING-TUBE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Pater-1t No. 357,589, dated February 15, 1887.

Serial No. 150,588. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN S. FONTAINE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Speaking-Tubes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being` had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specifloation.

My invention relates to the use of a single tube for establishing communication between one room and several others in such manner as that conversation may be carried on from the one room with any one of the others without being overheard in the remaining rooms connected with the tube, and has for its object to insure more positively the desired result and to'improve the devices for accomplishing the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view n longitudinal section of a doublevalve mouth-piece, and Fig. 2 a similar view of a single-valve mouth-piece, each provided with an automatic locking device adapted to be opened by an electro-magnet. Fig. 3 is a perspective view, upon a greatly reduced scale, illustrating the arrangement of the electric switch`lever and call-bells in the office or principal room with which my improved speaking-tube is designed to communicate. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the electrical connections between the switch in the office and the several mouth-pieces connected with the single speaking-tube-leading to the office, and also the adaptation of a system of callbells thereto. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the method of placing a call-bell in the office, in a circuit to be closed at the mouthpiece designated by said bell, and in connection with the switch in the oflice; and Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the modification of my invention, in which a system of levers, cranks, and wires is substituted for electrical connections to operate the valve-locks at the several mouth-pieces.

A represents a speaking-tube extending from the oliice on room P to one or more of the remaining rooms in the building with which it is desired to establish communication.

B B are mouth-pieces, which may be of the ordinary form of construction, fitted with a valve, C, (see Figs. l and 2,) to close the same, the valve being made to shut automatically by the action of a spiral spring, D, in the hinge thereof, or by other equivalent form of spring device, and to be thrown open by means of an outer arm or lever, E. (Shown in dotted lines, Figs. land 2.) The valve O, when closed, is automatically locked by means of a lever, F, (see Fig. 2,) pivoted at one end above the valve, and which is formed with an offset, a, near to its pivot end, adapted, as the lever drops, to engage the end of a bent arm, b, projecting from the upper end of the valve into contact with said offset when the valve is closed. The fall of the lever is arrested so soon as it engages the arm of the valve by means of a stop, el. The faces of the offset c on the lever and of theopposed end of the arm b are beveled, so that as the valve closes the lever will be sufficiently lifted by the arm to allow it to pass, while the lever, dropping again in the rear of the arm, will lock it. r[he spring D is powerful enough to operate, in closing the valve, to lift the lever automatically.

G is an electromagnet placed above the free end of the lever F. The armature ofthe magnet is attached to the lever, so that when the magnet is excited the lever will be lifted thereby far enough to release it from engage- 4ment with the valve O, leaving the latter free to be opened by the use of its handle-lever E.

H is a battery, and H a wire leading from one pole thereof to the magnets at each mouthpiece in the series communicating with the single tube A. The opposite pole of the battery is connected by a wire, H2, with one end of a switch-arm, K, which, by its movement, is iliade to connect said wire with either one of a series of wires, L L L2, Snc., extending thence severally to each of said magnets, and to close thereby the circuit from the battery to either magnet.

The valve C, Fig. 2, may be provided witha whistle therein, which admits ofbeing sounded onlyby a person blowing into the mouthpiece. A call-bell, O, is placed near to the mouthpiece B, in circuit with the electro-magnet G and battery H, so that when the circuit is closed by the switch K, to operate the lever F and unlock the valve O, the bell will ring.

In the operation of the apparatus, if a per- ICO son at either mouth-piece B in the series connected with the single tube A-say No. 4- desres to communicate with the oiiice I, he sounds the whistle in the valve, the number of the room being indicated by any predeter-v mined signal on said whistle. The attendant in the ottice thereupon turns the switch K to the proper button, 4, and thereby closes the circuit, including the magnet controlling the lock of the mouthpiece valve-in said room 4. The lever F is thereby lifted to unlock the valve, so that the person at the mouth-piece may open it and speak through the tube. In the meantime, as the valves inA all the other mouth-pieces are automatically closed and locked, the conversation may not be overheard at any other mouth-piece, but remains private. To more effectual] y deadcn the sound at cach opening, a lining, S, Fig. 1, of felt or other non-conducting material, may be combined with each valve or inserted therein.

To insure an immediate break of the circuit with the magnet so soon as the desired end of unlocking its valve is accomplished, the sWitch-leverK is provided with aspiral spring, r, encircling its'pivot, whereby, so soon as released, it will automatically tly back to an iusulated point, o, Fig. 8, at which the circuit will be broken.

To more effectually prevent the possibility of the transmission ofthe vocal sounds in the speaking-tube, when it is in use, to themouthpieces which are closed, I combine with the hinged valve C at the mouth-piece a second Sliding valve, l\[, (see Fig. 1,) which is made to traverse the branch tube A', which leads from the mouth-piece B to the main tube A. For this purpose the mouth-piece is placed at the end of a straighthorizontal length of tube, A", which is iitted across the branch tube A', at a right angle therewith, and so as to extend beyond it, as shown at A, Fig. l. The slidevalve M is ittcd to play closely yet freely in the horizontal tube A", so as to slide back and forth over the mouth of the branch tube A', and it is connected with the upper part ot' the hinged valve C by means of a rod, It, jointed to each, and of such length as that when the valve C is closed the valve M covers thev mouth of the branch tube A', and when the valve C is opened it will push back the valve M beyond the mouth of the tube A' and thereby throw it open. lIhe valve M is locked, when closed, by means ot'a pin or bolt, S, arranged to drop through the wall of the tube A" into a recess in the valve. This pin S is lifted and the Valve unlocked, when required, by means of an electro-magnet, G', whose armature is attached to the pin S, and which is placed in circuit with a battery, II, (see Fig. 3,) adapted to be closed, in manner as hereinbefore described, by the switch K in the oiiice or principal room, I?, to which the tube is led. As in this arrangementof double valves for each mouth-piece a whistle in the outer valve, C, will be useless as a signal, I contemplate the use, in connection with each mouth-piece in said system, of an electric annuneiator-button, N, (see Fig. 1,) adapted to close the circuit of an annunciator of any approved construction,or of one of a series ofelec tric call-bells, XV XV, (see Figs. 3 and 5,) placed in the main room I), one for cach ofthe other rooms, by which the attention ofthe attendant in the main room I may be called in order that he may unlock the mouthpiece valve to permit a use of the tube.

To prevent the person who may have used a mouth-piece from surreptitiously preventing the valve therein from closing after it has been.

unlocked and opened for use, and thereby hearing the conversation thereafter held through the tube by other parties, I place an insulated metallic strip, T, longitudinally upon the periphery of the slide-valve M in position to form a contact between the points V V, connected, respectively, with the battery-wire H' and a wire leading to the bell or aununciatorA drop for said mouth-piece in the ofiice,whcreby whenever the valve 'for that mouth-piece is open, even slightly, the circuit is closed for said bell or drop, so that the attendant in the office will know that the valve is open. To avoid any annoyance in the office, when a bell VVis used in this connection, from the ringing of the bell while the valve is open, a switch, Q, may be placed in the oliiceto open the bellcircuit at the pleasure of the attendant.

I contemplate, likewise, causing the hinged valve O,where the hinged valve alone is used, to actuate, Whenever it is opened, an electric annunciator or call-bell, XV, in the otdce by means of any of the weltknown devices adapted for this purpose. I contemplate,fur thermore, the substitution of levers l 2, (see diagram, Fig. 6,) each actuating an independent system of bell-cranks, U U U, connected by wires t textending from the otliee P to the bolt or catch locking each valve in the series of mout-h-pieccs B B, communicating with the single tube A.

I claim as my invention-- I. In a system for communicating between the several rooms in a building and a central ofiice or station by means of asingletubeleading from said olii ce or station and opening into each room, the combination, with the valved mouth-piece of the tube in each room, of a spring closing the valve in each mouth-piece, an automatic catch or lock foreach valve, an electro-magnet operating, when excited, to release the catch or lock, a switch-lever at the central office or station, a series ot' insulated contact-points or buttons within reach of said lever, a battery one pole of which is connected with said switch-lever, a single conducting-wire leading from the battery to each magnet, and separate conducting-wires leading from each magnet to one ot' the several insulated contactpoints within reach of the switch-lever, whereby the mouth-piece in any one room may be unlocked by turning the switch-lever in the office to the appropriate contact-point for said room, substantially in IIO IIS

the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. rllhe combination, with the mouth-piece, of a speaking-tube constructed with a right- 5 angled bend, and with a hinged valve controlling said mouth-piece, of a second slidevalve traversing the bend to open and close the tube, and a coupling-rod connecting the slide-valve with the upper end of the hinged xo valve, whereby the two valves are made to operate conjointly, substantially in the mann ner and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The combination, with a speaking-tube, A', and a sliding valve, M, controlling the I5 same, of the commutating or switch plate T, moving With the valve to come into Contact, when the valve is opened, with the terminal points V V of Wires in a circuit including the battery and an annunciator-bell, and thereby close said circuit, substantially in the manner 2o and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. The combination, with the pivoted valve C, controlling lthe mouth-piece B of a speaking-tube and the spring D actuating it, of an arm, b, projecting from the valve, a pivoted 25 locking-lever, F, engaging said arm, and an electro-magnet, G, actuating the lever F, all substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name 3o to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALLEN S. FONTATN E.

lVitnesses:

J. F. ACKER, Jr., A. B. MOORE. 

